1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:02,680 Speaker 1: Afternoon. The school lunch program is getting a shake up. 2 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:05,400 Speaker 1: The beleaguered caterer Compass Group, has been dropped as a 3 00:00:05,400 --> 00:00:08,360 Speaker 1: supplier to primary schools. Ten other suppliers have been chosen, 4 00:00:08,800 --> 00:00:11,640 Speaker 1: and while the intermediate and secondary meals cost about three dollars, 5 00:00:11,680 --> 00:00:14,120 Speaker 1: the primary meals will cost up to five dollars. David 6 00:00:14,120 --> 00:00:17,120 Speaker 1: Seymore is the Associate Education ministan with US Now Hi, 7 00:00:17,200 --> 00:00:20,600 Speaker 1: David hey Ever, is this a vote of no confidence 8 00:00:20,640 --> 00:00:21,160 Speaker 1: in Compass? 9 00:00:22,600 --> 00:00:25,800 Speaker 2: Not at all. Compass will continue to deliver meals for 10 00:00:25,840 --> 00:00:29,200 Speaker 2: the high schools and intermediates. I would guess that is 11 00:00:29,240 --> 00:00:31,920 Speaker 2: actually the bulk of the meals that we are delivering. 12 00:00:32,600 --> 00:00:35,960 Speaker 2: They faced some very big challenges that weren't of they're 13 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:39,599 Speaker 2: making a subcontractor failed in term one of this year. 14 00:00:39,640 --> 00:00:42,479 Speaker 2: There was a lot of publicity around that. We fixed 15 00:00:42,479 --> 00:00:45,400 Speaker 2: it with the help of Compass, and that's why they 16 00:00:45,440 --> 00:00:48,360 Speaker 2: continue to supply the bulk of meals. 17 00:00:49,120 --> 00:00:51,159 Speaker 1: Why is the meals costing a little bit more with 18 00:00:51,200 --> 00:00:52,479 Speaker 1: the primary schools. 19 00:00:54,000 --> 00:00:57,400 Speaker 2: Well, they're not. All of the prices have gone up 20 00:00:57,960 --> 00:01:01,320 Speaker 2: from the starting point of three dollars, but there is 21 00:01:01,400 --> 00:01:04,360 Speaker 2: some which are more expensive because they are and hard 22 00:01:04,400 --> 00:01:06,880 Speaker 2: to serve. Areas out in remote parts of the country. 23 00:01:07,280 --> 00:01:10,640 Speaker 2: Those ones are nudging up towards five dollars, others are 24 00:01:10,680 --> 00:01:12,720 Speaker 2: a lot lower, and that gives you an average of 25 00:01:12,720 --> 00:01:13,880 Speaker 2: three dollars forty six. 26 00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:17,360 Speaker 1: Did you see that the Ministry of Education has written 27 00:01:17,400 --> 00:01:18,800 Speaker 1: to glory of ol Christian School. 28 00:01:20,280 --> 00:01:22,720 Speaker 2: I hadn't seen that, but I'm not surprised. 29 00:01:22,920 --> 00:01:24,000 Speaker 1: Why are you not surprised? 30 00:01:25,280 --> 00:01:27,560 Speaker 2: Well, I think the stories that have come out of 31 00:01:27,600 --> 00:01:30,320 Speaker 2: that place for a long time are pretty serious. And 32 00:01:30,400 --> 00:01:33,280 Speaker 2: the obligation to give each child in this country, no 33 00:01:33,280 --> 00:01:36,679 Speaker 2: matter who they are, what their ethnic background, what their religion, 34 00:01:36,840 --> 00:01:39,000 Speaker 2: they should have an education that allows them to make 35 00:01:39,080 --> 00:01:42,440 Speaker 2: choices in life. That's something that should be upheld everywhere, 36 00:01:42,440 --> 00:01:44,640 Speaker 2: and if it's not being upheld at a particular place, 37 00:01:44,800 --> 00:01:46,560 Speaker 2: education should be onto it. 38 00:01:47,200 --> 00:01:49,120 Speaker 1: If the ministry does shut the school down, which is 39 00:01:49,200 --> 00:01:50,840 Speaker 1: kind of what it seems it's going to do, does 40 00:01:50,880 --> 00:01:53,760 Speaker 1: that solve our problem because won't those kids just go 41 00:01:53,840 --> 00:01:55,800 Speaker 1: into homeschooling and essentially stay in the place. 42 00:01:58,080 --> 00:02:01,600 Speaker 2: Well, of course, different government departments have different responsibilities of 43 00:02:01,720 --> 00:02:04,400 Speaker 2: an education. Are there to make sure that any school 44 00:02:04,480 --> 00:02:07,480 Speaker 2: running has run well. On the other hand, there are 45 00:02:07,600 --> 00:02:11,200 Speaker 2: other areas such as ministry or social development and auditing 46 00:02:11,240 --> 00:02:15,280 Speaker 2: a Tamaiki the Children's Ministry, whose job is to protect 47 00:02:15,280 --> 00:02:17,600 Speaker 2: the welfare of children. They each have a job to do. 48 00:02:18,400 --> 00:02:21,440 Speaker 2: Whether a child is in a state school or homeschool 49 00:02:22,120 --> 00:02:24,359 Speaker 2: is secondary to those other departments jobs. 50 00:02:24,919 --> 00:02:27,840 Speaker 1: Did you see apropos the Labor policy announcement yesterday that 51 00:02:27,880 --> 00:02:30,160 Speaker 1: at the moment cervical screening is free for Maori and 52 00:02:30,200 --> 00:02:31,920 Speaker 1: Pacifica but not other ethnicities. 53 00:02:33,840 --> 00:02:35,880 Speaker 2: Yeah, and look at this is one of these things 54 00:02:35,919 --> 00:02:39,120 Speaker 2: where a government that's come in. If you take something 55 00:02:39,200 --> 00:02:42,720 Speaker 2: like bow screening, that was fifty years of age if 56 00:02:42,720 --> 00:02:46,080 Speaker 2: you are Maori or Pacific sixty if you're European. We 57 00:02:46,200 --> 00:02:48,560 Speaker 2: worked on the evidence we said, actually race doesn't make 58 00:02:48,600 --> 00:02:51,040 Speaker 2: a difference to bell cancer. So now it's fifty eight 59 00:02:51,080 --> 00:02:54,240 Speaker 2: for everybody. And there's lots of things like this that 60 00:02:54,280 --> 00:02:57,959 Speaker 2: we're slowly changing. FARMAC used to have a whole wing 61 00:02:58,000 --> 00:03:02,680 Speaker 2: of Maori work on the basis of really nothing, because 62 00:03:02,760 --> 00:03:05,000 Speaker 2: medication is medication and we just need to get it 63 00:03:05,040 --> 00:03:08,639 Speaker 2: to all people. So there's examples throughout the public service 64 00:03:08,639 --> 00:03:12,040 Speaker 2: where people who like me believe our common humanity is 65 00:03:12,120 --> 00:03:16,400 Speaker 2: much more important than anything dividing us. We're frustrated, but 66 00:03:16,480 --> 00:03:19,359 Speaker 2: we're changing it and we're fixing what matters each each day. 67 00:03:19,440 --> 00:03:20,440 Speaker 1: Are you going to fix this one? 68 00:03:21,919 --> 00:03:25,040 Speaker 2: Well, not me specifically, that would be up to Simming 69 00:03:25,080 --> 00:03:28,880 Speaker 2: and Brown the Health Minister. But certainly the influence I 70 00:03:28,960 --> 00:03:31,400 Speaker 2: try and bring to bear within the government is that 71 00:03:31,560 --> 00:03:36,840 Speaker 2: university universal humanity message is important. We've had big successes 72 00:03:36,840 --> 00:03:39,840 Speaker 2: with the history curriculum, with the obligations on school boards 73 00:03:39,840 --> 00:03:41,640 Speaker 2: and the University of Auckland lately. 74 00:03:41,680 --> 00:03:43,480 Speaker 1: Are you going to put pressure on sim interchange or 75 00:03:43,520 --> 00:03:44,840 Speaker 1: are you going to walk away from this one? 76 00:03:46,320 --> 00:03:48,880 Speaker 2: Well? I can't think of any I've walked away from before. 77 00:03:49,440 --> 00:03:53,240 Speaker 2: Certainly I believe that we should be using Need Not Race. 78 00:03:53,320 --> 00:03:56,640 Speaker 2: I'm responsible for the Need Not Race circular being put 79 00:03:56,640 --> 00:03:59,920 Speaker 2: into the Cabinet Manual and we're going to be pursuing 80 00:04:00,120 --> 00:04:00,640 Speaker 2: one as well. 81 00:04:00,760 --> 00:04:02,880 Speaker 1: Great, David, thank you for that. Appreciate it. David Seable, 82 00:04:02,880 --> 00:04:04,920 Speaker 1: Associate Education Minister, to keep an eye on that one 83 00:04:04,920 --> 00:04:08,880 Speaker 1: with a cervical screening. For more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive, 84 00:04:09,040 --> 00:04:12,480 Speaker 1: listen live to news Talks. It'd be from four pm weekdays, 85 00:04:12,560 --> 00:04:14,720 Speaker 1: or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.